Fear Night
by mattz-bro
Summary: Love infallible, the bond brings great strength to those who share it. Will it be enough for Tai to save Matt?
1. Associated Press

_ Intro _

Sadly, fact is I don't own the rights to Digimon rather that honor goes to a major corporation and some lucky individuals. I don't own the rights to anything but this story which is my own lil piece of that Fan Fiction pie. If you want to redistribute the story on your site or by e-mail all I ask is that you include this info in this lil disclaimer type thingie. 

I am going to be working on this story a lot, I have a lot of notes written as to what I want to do with it and just so you know it isn't going to be a short fic. I am working on a lot of fics and this one will be one of the ones I will be updating often. 

This story is dedicated to, umm...well actually it's dedicated to a couple people; my friend's Izzy and Max who let me use their system to type the basics up, my online friends of course who are weirder than I sometimes and of course to my lil hedgehog to whom which I would not of had the time to write this without his influence. 

* * *

** Fear Night **  
_ By Mattz Bro _

Chapter One

The night was dreary and desolate almost like a scene from a horror movie, yet there as in a horror movie was a solitary soul walking down the road. As he walked down the deserted stretch of country road he looked up to the stormy sky, looking for a single star to keep him company. He continued to walk, every so often looking over his shoulder expecting to see his friends any minute drive by and pick him up. 

"Jerks, such jerks." He mumbled while casting a side-glance to an old farmhouse to the side of the road. He paused and turned to face the house, the house itself looked to be turn of the century with a dirt path leading to the side of it. The path itself looked to be trenched on both sides from lots of use by carriages over the years. 

As he looked at the house he noticed a light in the far right window, slight blue tinge to it but it was there. "Maybe I can use their phone." He said starting the trek down the gouged path towards the home. 

A distant howl of a coyote was heard somewhere off in the woods behind the farmhouse as he reached the front porch. "Well ain't that just comforting to hear in the dead of night?" He asked out loud as he looked around the porch. He looked at the rusty milk can by the door and thought about the bustling activity the place must have once seen. 

The porch itself was a faint white color, where the paint hadn't peeled or cracked off of course, the home itself was once a matching shade until father time had gotten hold of it. He peered inside the window only to find the thick layers of dust obstructed his vision. 

He knocked on the door, little chips of paint flaking to the threshold as he did so. He waited a few seconds and knocked again, this time slightly harder causing the pane of glass to chip in the corner. "Looks like no one's home... " He said starting to turn around to head back out to the road. 

Just then, the door opened with a horrid creaking sound the hinges screamed for oil it seemed. He slowly turned around to see the door opened and no one behind it, his body shivered and hairs on his arms stood on end. "He-hello?" He stammered walking cautiously into the entranceway. 

He walked into the parlor room and looked for the light he had seen from the road but to no avail. As he walked room to room through the downstairs he could swear another set of footsteps was behind his the whole way. Every time he turned around to face the sounds there would be no one there, causing his skin to crawl. 

He walked towards the staircase and began to ascend the steep incline upwards, each step causing a creak and groan, which reverberated off the narrow walls. At the top of the stairs he looked around to see a few bedroom doors all closed, the far one though had sounds coming from the inside. 

"Finally someone." He said walking towards the door. He stood outside the door and looked down, a flickering light shown through the gap at the bottom of the door. Suddenly a deathly scream came from the other side as he stood there, he tried the handle to find it locked. 

Pounding on the door with all his might he yelled, a pool of blood trickling out of the gap at the bottom on to his shoes. He yelled some more and continued pounding, not bothering to notice that the hall was engulfed in a pale blue light. Without warning he was struck in the back of the neck, he fell to the floor with a thump, darkness closed in slowly. 

~*~ 

Tai picked up the newspaper as he leaned back in his chair and began to read the front page: 

** No Leads In Missing Singer Case **   
_ Associated Press Corps. _

It has been two weeks thus far in the case of missing singer Yamato Ishida and to date no leads have been found. The police department issued a press release detailing the progress but it only confirmed what private investigator, Ken Ichijouji has said about the case. 

"I have spent over 84 hours in the past two weeks trying to find out myself what happened to Matt. With no evidence, no witnesses and the leads and tips going nowhere I don't think even the police department will be able to locate him. I only hope that my worst fears for him will not be proven correct but as a person of the law, I have to accept that as a possible theory." Said Ken Ichijouji. 

The police have interviewed all of the known friends, family and business associates of Yamato Ishida but they are no closer to finding out where or what happened according to the press release. If you have any information regarding the possible whereabouts of Yamato Ishida please call 1-800-MISSING. 

"Matt...where are you?" asked Tai out loud as a tear made it's way down his cheek and falling onto the black and white print of the paper. He laid the paper aside and stood up wiping his cheek as he did so, he had often found himself crying since that night Sora had told him. 

He walked to the window and looked at the view, he remembered when Matt and him first moved into the place. 

_ "Oh come on Taichi, look at this place. It's perfect for you and I, I mean just look at this place." Said Matt pulling him into the living room area. _

"I know Matt but if people put together the fact you aren't dating and you're with me all the time they won't like you anymore, your career would be gone." Said Tai looking at him with worry in his soft brown eyes. 

"I want to be with you, I don't care about what people think, I just want to be with you Tai." Said Matt grasping both of Tai's hands and holding them tightly. 

"I want you to be happy, I want you to do what you love Matt and I know you love your career." Said Tai looking away slightly. 

"Come here," said Matt pulling him to the huge plate glass windows overlooking the skyline of the city, "Look at that view, I mean look at it...isn't it awesome?" 

"Yes it is." Said Tai as Matt let go of his hands and walked behind him. 

"It's even better with you to share it with me, I love you more than I love my career, you know that." Said Matt wrapping his arms around Tai's waist and placing his head gently on his shoulder. 

Tai reached and placed his hands on top of Matt's, rubbing them softly, "I love you too." 

"This always was our favorite place to be in the house." Said Tai running a finger down the clear glass. As he stared off into the blue sky the phone rang interrupting his thoughts, "I'll let the machine get it." 

The phone rang a fourth time and the answer machine clicked on, "This is Tai and Matt, we ain't here right now so please leave a message after the beep." The machine beeped and a voice came on, "Hey Tai, it's me Kari. Just wanted to know if you were alright, I know this must be hard for you and well...just wanted to say..." the machine clicked off. 

"Hey Kari." Said Tai sitting on the chair with the phone to his ear, the tears still streaming slightly but his voice unaffected. 

"Tai, are you okay?" 

"As good as one can be right now, no worse off than anyone else." 

"That's a lie, you're his boyfriend, this is worse for you than it is for anyone else." 

He remembered when she walked in on them in a somewhat passionate position; she was only 13 at the time. "Yeah I guess it is but I'm alright though." 

"Well if you're up to it Ken would like to talk with you, that is if you're up to it though. I told him that you weren't feeling too good, since he doesn't know yet." 

"I can probably be ready for him in an hour or two, I have some...things I need to do before I do anything." 

After a brief pause she said, "You've been crying again haven't you?" 

"I...yeah," he closed his eyes, "I have been." 

"Well okay, listen I will call Ken and tell him four o' clock so that way you can get yourself ready, okay?" 

"Yeah." 

"Oh and Tai?" 

"Yes?" 

"I love you, no matter what I will always love you...Oni-chan" 

A slight smile cracked through his lips, "I love you too." 

~*~ 

** Editor's Note: ** Don't expect Microsoft Word or anything else to work perfect for your formatting on FF.net, trust me....little hint for you writers out there. 


	2. Arousing Suspicions

Chapter Two 

It was a small office, file cabinets lining the walls, bookshelves in-between them and in the center of the room, a large oak desk with a placard. He sat in the leather chair in front of the desk for what seemed like hours, studying the pictures and certificates on the walls before in walked Ken Ichijouji. 

"Hello Tai, long time no see." Said Ken walking around the back of the desk past Tai and sitting down in a black leather computer chair. 

"Yeah, too bad it wasn't on better circumstances." Said Tai with a slight look of desperation in his eyes. 

"Unfortunately I have to ask you some questions, I know it's not the best time to ask you things regarding Matt but I have to, you understand right?" asked Ken leaning back and opening a plain manila folder in his hands. 

"Yeah I know, trust me I want answers as much as you do." Said Tai, a slight quiver in his voice near the end. 

Ken wrote something down on a paper inside the folder and continued, "You've known Matt for awhile now, does he seem like the type to just leave so abruptly?" 

"No, not Matt. He would never leave people without saying goodbye at the very least, even if it were important. You know that." 

"I can't use anything I know, I have to be objective and ask questions even if I do know the answers Tai, it's my job." 

"Sorry, I am just...yeah...I fear for him, it's been two weeks and nothing at all." Said Tai, his eyes pleading and begging to be filled with answers. 

"Tai, off the record, can I ask you something?" asked Ken leaning forward and placing his pen and folder on the desk. 

"Sure, if you think it will help you find him." 

"Have you two...umm...are you two...seeing each other?" Ken stammered slightly. 

"Off the record?" 

"Off the record." 

"Yes, we've been seeing each other for a long time now, it's been over ten years." Said Tai with a feeling of regret afterwards. 

"Did anyone else know? I mean like did he have any enemies or people who didn't like him for that fact?" asked Ken. 

Tai thought for a moment, of course no one knew that he knew of, he was always looking out for that, the only people who knew and have known for a long time were Kari and TK. "Not to my knowledge, the only people who knew about us were Kari and Takeru and now you, yourself. Enemies though, he's in the music business of course he probably had enemies but the only thing that I can recall is every so often he'd get a letter." 

"A letter you say?" asked Ken, picking up his pen and preparing to write notes in the file. 

"Well he'd get these weird letters, sometimes threatening and sometimes apologetic but always from the same person. He never paid attention to them, accepted it as part of his status in the music field. I though, I took it seriously and tried to look into it." 

Ken jotted some notes in the file and asked, "How did you try to look into it?" 

"Once while Matt was on tour in the United States I found that we were near the address the letters were coming from. I borrowed one of the stage manager's car and drove to find that address to confront the person." 

"Were you armed? Did anyone go with you?" asked Ken writing a few lines. 

"Of course I was armed, I've heard about the United States so I carried Matt's handgun with me. No one but me went though, which made it slightly harder because I had to always ask for directions from townspeople." 

Ken cleared his throat and said, "Continue please." 

"Okay." Tai said repositioning himself in the chair, "After about like the fourth person of directions I finally found the place where the letters were coming from. It was in the country a good 130 or 140 kilometers out of town so it was a ways out. Once I came across the house I pulled in the drive and got out in front of the house." 

Ken ferociously jotted down details as Tai continued, "I stood on the porch and looked at the place, didn't look like it was used in a long time. Pretty shabby condition too, like that old Himuro Mansion, remember when we went there?" 

"Yeah I remember, pretty bad. Please, continue." Said Ken looking intent upon writing his notes. 

"Well when I knocked on the door, no one answered it so I decided to look in the window. I couldn't see anything inside, the window was so dirty and dusty, in fact the house itself looked to be abandoned. I figured it was a hoax and fake address so I just left without giving it a second thought." 

"Do you remember the address or have any of the letters?" asked Ken after a few moments. 

"No, I burned the letters, I felt that he didn't need to keep them anymore and it's been at least two years since that tour." Said Tai feeling slightly bad for burning what may have helped Ken. 

"So I see, so is there anything else you can tell me?" asked Ken. 

"Well other than he was on tour at the time of his disappearance not really but Ken can I ask you a favor?" Tai asked, worry in his eyes and voice. 

"Sure, shoot." 

"Will you do everything you can to find my Yama? I mean everything, if you need money or anything you come ask me and I will get you what you need, as long as you promise to find him for me." Tai pleaded, tears welling in his eyes. 

Ken got up and walked over to Tai placing his arm around his shoulders, "I promise Tai, I will do everything and I mean everything in my power to find him, I promise." 

Slowly Tai got up, tears still in his eyes, "Thank you Ken, thank you so much!" he yelled hugging the younger man tightly. 

Ken returned the hug after taking a few seconds to recover from the sudden affection directed at him. After a few moments they let go of one another, Tai wiping his eyes and Ken putting his arm around his shoulders as they stood there in the middle of the room. 

"Tai if you think of anything else please get a hold of me as soon as possible, anytime okay? Day or night." 

"I will Ken, thank you again...please if you find anything call me as soon as you can okay?" Tai asked starting to walk towards the door. 

"I promise that I will do, so let's see I haven't seen you in almost four months and already you've gotten me to make two promises. Have I grown weak or what?" smirked Ken following Tai. 

"Ken, any man who can take on the things I've seen you take on or do the things you've done is not weak by any means, as for the promises I think it means you know how important he is to me." Said Tai pausing at the doorway and facing the private investigator. 

"Well when you're right, you're right. Now do yourself a favor and swing by the bathroom, splash some cool water on your face and go home to bed, you need it." Said Ken crossing his arms and leaning against the doorframe. 

"Well if you need to call you have my number now from Kari right?" 

"Right, and if anything comes up I will call you, like I promised." 

"Thanks Ken, for everything you've done and you're doing." 

"You're welcome now get home and get some rest, I've got a lot of work to do so I can reunite you with Matt." 

"Okay but first I have to stop in the restroom like you said, I don't think I want to let people see my red face." Said Tai forcing a slight smile towards Ken. 

"Yeah you do that, see you later." Said Ken walking back into his office. 

"Later Ken." Said Tai as he headed down towards the restrooms. 

Ken closed the door and picked up the file with the notes he had written about the house and Tai's story, "Something is not right here, something doesn't fit..." 


	3. Sweetsour Memories

Chapter Three 

It had been a long time, very long time since he'd seen the light of day or his friends for that matter. He looked at his wounds; some fresh and bleeding while others were scarred reminders of the pain. 

"I have to put faith that Tai will find me, I have to put faith in God to guide him, I have to survive for both." Said Matt falling on his side as a burst of sharp pain coursed through his body. 

The chains around his wrists were growing heavier with each passing sleep, his body growing weaker and thinner. He had prayed once that he may find a rat or something to eat, it was answered when he found a nest of beetles in the corner a few sleep periods later. He'd lost track of time so long ago he started keeping track by when he slept. 

It had been a long time since his last sleep period; he thought that it might be his last since the beetles were found six periods ago. He looked at the only source of water he found in the room, even in the dark he could make out things; sometimes he was grateful for the lack of color perception in the dark. 

It was but a single dripping pipe in the far wall, which in reality wasn't very far at all as it was only two meters away. Crawling to it had become a feat of mind over matter for him in between sleep periods; his lack of food had caused his body to begin breaking down itself for sustenance. Whenever he reached the small pipe, he had to cup his hands for what seemed like hours before he could get enough for a single drink. 

His mind was constantly plagued with thoughts of death and dying in the place, which made him furious. He wouldn't die here, not without a fight; it'd be letting whoever brought him here win too easily. He tried to preoccupy his mind instead with lyrics and songs and thoughts of his man desperately searching for him. Sometimes, those thoughts drove him to tears, knowing that somewhere, there was Taichi crying and in pain. 

He leaned up against the hard stonewall, pain shooting through his back from the open sores as he did so. He began to think back to when Tai, Ken and him had gone to Himuro Mansion. 

_ "There is the place of legend, the place of death some say." Said Ken pausing in front of the steps. _

The mansion was in ruins but standing strong on the hilltop as had done for what some believed centuries. The trees and growth had become sole masters of the structure, growing over the wood and plaster with no regard. No one had been to the place since the researcher had disappeared almost a decade ago, reasons unknown. 

"They say it was a place of great life and great death, what that means I have no idea." Said Tai as he looked up at the roof sculptures. 

"It means there was great people who were here, the place was full of life and birth but also a lot of death and sacrifice." Said Matt starting to walk up the stairs, his hand grasping the handle of the switchblade in his pocket, just in case. 

"What are you doing?" asked Ken in a slightly surprised tone. 

"I'm at least going to look around inside, I didn't come this way to just admire the outside." Said Matt turning around to face the other two at the base of the steps. 

"You can't do that! You know what the rumors and legends say, you may not return!" exclaimed Tai stepping up on the stairs. 

"I just want to look, I won't go far into it maybe into the front entrance and that's all." Said Matt turning back around and continuing up the rotted wood steps. 

"Well we'll be right here, I don't like this place...gives me the creeps." Said Ken taking a step forward. 

"I won't let you go in alone, wouldn't be right." Said Tai jogging up to walk along Matt's side. 

The entrance was partially collapsed as they entered, the room dusty and falling apart. Both young men looked over their shoulders at the slightest sound as they walked around the relatively small room. 

"Do you see that?" asked Tai in almost a whisper as he paused in front of a crossbeam that had fallen. 

"See what?" asked Matt turning to look, stopping dead in his tracks as the scene before him hit his retina. 

Before them both behind a crossbeam and old wooden wall was the figure of a young girl, no more than twelve. Her body glowed in a blue hue, her face full of sadness and hurt. Matt looked down towards the ground where she stood; she had no legs whatsoever which scared the hell out of him. He looked at Tai, his pale face had said it all, get the hell out of here and now. 

They turned tail and ran, ran as fast as they could; didn't care how far they ran or where as long as it was far from the place. Ken watched as they ran down the steps and ran past him, he yelled for them but they didn't stop until they reached the car parked forty meters away from the mansion. 

Ken jogged to the car, "What the hell happened?!" 

Matt and Tai breathed deeply, taking in air looking at each other both sweating bullets still. After a few moments Ken asked again, "What happened?" 

"We saw something, something that shouldn't have been there, something that wasn't in this world." Said Tai looking at Matt with fear blazing in his irises. 

Matt looked at Ken, the same fear within his own eyes; "Let's go...let's go now." 

Matt shuddered slightly at the memory, the image of the girl forever burned within his brain. He leaned his head back, another sleep period encompassed him, a dreamless sleep period. 

~*~ 

Tai looked at the clock on the wall, it read four thirty-seven in the morning; he had lost another night of sleep. His mind wouldn't let rest the worry for even a moment but he knew why. Staring into the blackness of the night out the window he thought about the empty spot next to his side. It was a ritual for him when he wasn't on tour with Matt, but now it'd become a nightmare every night. When he wasn't on tour with his lover, he at least got calls or e-mails sometimes even late night talks on instant messenger; he knew he was all right when that happened. 

But now, now it was different, he didn't know if Matt was all right or even alive for that matter. It hurt him so badly to think such thoughts but it was unavoidable for his mind, he cared so much. He watched the starless sky hoping that he will see a star; Matt had always loved to watch the night sky. They even had a special star that was their own; it was between the two brightest in the night sky. 

He laid there for hours hoping that their star would shine through the clouds in all it's glory, it never happened. Before he knew it, the clock read six fifty-five and the alarm broke his concentration, yet another day was upon him. He reached over and hit the button to shut the infernal machine up, which was what Matt had always called it anyways. He sighed heavily, rolling over and sitting up, "Matt, where ever you are, I will find you, I will search until the day I die." He said looking at the picture on the nightstand. 

He stood up and picked it up, a memory frozen in time he thought. It was a picture of him and Matt at the Cleveland Science Center in Ohio. A tear fell to the glass as the memory came to him, vividly. 

_ "Look the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame." Said Tai looking at the huge building. _

"I wish I was good enough to be in there," said Matt looking over the fountain, "It would be so awesome, a wax figure of me with my guitar and mike would be just so cool." 

"You know you're good enough," said Tai placing his arm around Matt's waist, "But you've already made into another Hall of Fame." 

"Really? Where?" 

"Mine, you've been in my heart's Hall of Fame for the longest time, in fact you've been there since the beginning." Said Tai with a smile. 

"Oh, Tai..." said Matt blushing slightly as he looked at the brunette, "You're the top attraction in my Hall of Fame." 

"I love you too..."smirked Tai as he put his head on Matt's shoulder. 

Matt kissed his forehead and looked beside the structure before the Hall of Fame, "Cleveland Science Center, hmm...hey want to take a field trip?" 

"Why not? Besides maybe we can learn something" 

"Hey if I wanted to learn anything I'd go to college." Matt said starting to walk with Tai up to the big glass and metal doors into the science center. 

~*~ 

_ "Hey Tai! Come here and check this out!" exclaimed Matt as he stood in front of a doorway. _

"What is it?" asked Tai putting down the fiber optic phone and walking over to where Matt stood. 

"Wanna go in here? Check out the stars?" asked Matt point to the sign that read, "See the Stars of the Northern Hemisphere". 

"Is it going to be dark?" 

"Well yeah it's a observatory, it displays the stars of the night sky on the ceiling and makes you feel like your really there." 

"Why do you like astronomy so much anyways?" asked Tai looking at some of the constellation signs outside the room. 

"I don't know, it's like a free concert in the night sky every night for me. It's where I look when I need inspiration or help." Said Matt walking in the room with Tai at his side. 

"Do you have a favorite constellation?" asked Tai as Matt went down a row and sat in the last seat at the end. 

"Of course, the one I love most is Vulpecula otherwise known as The Fox." Said Matt as Tai sat beside him. 

The lights grew dim and soon the dome lit up like the night sky, northern hemisphere constellations were outlined. The automated voice began to speak of the different stars and constellations and soon it came to Vulpecula. 

"Vulpecula is a more modern constellation devised by Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius in 1687. It contains no bright stars greater than the fourth magnitude, which makes it quite dim. 

Originally Vulpecula was pictured with a goose in it's mouth and was known as Vulpes et Anser or Vulpecula et Anser which both mean The Fox and The Goose. But over time it became shortened to just the fox hence the nickname The Little Fox." Said the automatic computer recording. 

Tai put his head on Matt's shoulder as the constellation became animated and ran around the dome. Matt's arm instinctively went around Tai's shoulder holding him close. 

~*~ 

A knock came on the door, a light but stern knock interrupting his thoughts, "Coming." Said Tai walking out to answer it. He opened the door to see no one, he poked his head out and looked both ways down the hall, "What the hell is wrong with people?" 

He about closed the door but it stopped about an inch from closing, he looked down at the threshold to see a yellow envelope. Picking it up he thought to himself, "What the hell? This better not be some porn or something." He closed the door and went to the chair by the window, sitting down. 

He examined the envelope, it seemed to be an ordinary business enveloped like the kind Matt got his record contracts in but it seemed to be roughed up pretty bad. He opened it up to have a videotape and piece of paper fall into his lap. Tai picked up the letter and opened it to reveal scrawled writing. 

_ Blood pure, love true   
Find your man to be with you.   
If you don't he shall die   
Which will lead you to cry. _

Your soul to his   
Your lips share a kiss.   
Tape as hint   
Stop the upcoming event. 

You alone no one other   
He can have no other.   
Find him now or you will see   
What happens when you mess with me. 

Show me to all   
Death to him shall befall.   
Warned have been you   
So says one of a few. 

He stared at the note and read it over twenty times before he realized what was in his hands. Information to find his one and only and it showed he was in danger and only he was able to do anything. His mind raced, his heart beat fast as ever as he looked at the tape, "I will find you...I will do everything I can, I promise." He whispered. 


	4. Death's Intro

Chapter Four 

Ken drove the car up the parking deck ramp; making this fourth trip to the record company office this week. He hated having to report that he had no real information to tell the people who hired him but he wasn't about to tell them what he thought. Pulling the car around the column he slammed on the brakes as another car did the same. 

"Asshole!" Yelled Ken out his open window as he pulled around the car and continued down the deck to the parking space by the lift. Putting the car in park and turning off the ignition he watched the car that almost hit him go down the ramp. He sighed as he took the keys out of the ignition and opened the car door. 

"I can't tell them about Tai, I don't even want to think it but I can't shake the feeling." He thought to himself as he grabbed his briefcase out of the passenger seat and shut the driver door. 

He walked to the lift and pressed the button, "I have to give it merit as a possibility though, it's my job," he thought as the stainless steel doors opened before him. He stepped into the small steel box that is how all lifts felt to him, steel coffin if you will, he pressed a button on the panel. 

His train of thought was interrupted by a loud shout, "Hey! Hold the door!" His palm reached and held the door open as a young man ran past him into the elevator. 

"Thanks." Said the young man; he looked to be in his early twenties, dressed in a golf tee style shirt, khakis and carried soft black leather briefcase. 

"Don't mention it." Said Ken placing his hand back down to his side allowing the doors to close. He looked at the man out of the corner of his eye as the elevator began to ascend. 

"Hey, ain't you that Ichijouji character investigating the missing singer case?" asked the young man. 

"Yes, my name is Ken Ichijouji. Why do you ask?" 

"No real reason," said the man followed by a few moments of awkward silence, "Any leads or anything?" 

"Sorry but it's confidential information but what I can say is progress is being made." Said Ken, knowing full well he was lying through his teeth. 

"Oh…well…hope you find him." 

The elevator slowed to a stop on the twelfth floor and the doors opened, both Ken and the young man stepping off. Ken walked towards the reception desk as the young man went to a security door and slid a card through the reader, walking inside. 

"Good afternoon, how may I help you?" asked the fairly vibrant receptionist looking up at him from behind her desk. 

"Good afternoon, my name is Ken Ichijouji and I have an appointment with the president of the company." Said Ken placing his briefcase on the floor beside where he stood. 

"Oh yes, if you will have a seat over there I will tell her you are here." Said the receptionist pointing to a row of chairs by the windows. 

"Thank you." Said Ken picking up his briefcase and walking to the windows, he looked over the cityscape. It was bright and sunny for once this week, he thought as he watched the busy streets of Tokyo. 

The city was always bustling with activity no matter the time of day or night, cars, peoples, subways and trains. It was like the city never needed a rest, it was always full of energy and it's inhabitants were the conduits. 

"Mr. Ichijouji, Ms. Nakao will see you now." Said the receptionist pointing to a set of big double oak doors. He sighed slightly as he began to walk towards the door, pausing when a highly attractive woman in a business suit opened the left door. 

"Mr. Ichijouji, please come in," said the woman as Ken walked passed her into the large office. She closed the door and followed him to the desk by the huge plate glass windows. 

"Please have a seat." She said as she walked around the desk and sat in the big chair behind it. 

"Thank you," said Ken placing his briefcase on the floor beside the chair as he sat down, "I assume you're Ms. Nakao?" 

"The one and only, now I know we're probably taking time from your investigation by having you come in and give us a report but the company board is very troubled over losing Yamato." 

"I understand, after all I had to work the case for Industrial Illusions as you remember." Said Ken as he thought back to that case; it had been one that made him one of the best private investigators in the world. 

"Yes I remember that one well, it was what inclined us to hire you for this one as well as the fact you are associated with him." Said Ms. Nakao tenting her hands below her chin and leaning back in the chair. 

"I have been working hard at trying to locate leads for this case and I'm going to have to say, it's one of the hardest cases I've ever had to work on. I'm saying this from a professional point of view of course without regards to the personal affairs and feelings I have for Matt." Said Ken picking his briefcase up and placing it on his lap. 

"I understand, now have you any leads at all as of this moment in your investigation?" 

"I have a few I need to probe further before I would call them leads but as of this moment, I have as much as the police do," said Ken opening the briefcase and pulling out a file, "So far from all the interviews, all I can determine is that this is not something that he would do on his own. According to the profile I have of him, he wouldn't just up and leave town telling no one where he was going, it would be against his ethics. I have had the chance to interview his family, friends and coworkers and all have said roughly the same about him." 

"Which is?" 

Ken opened the file and placed it on top of the briefcase, "According to his younger brother, Takeru Takaishi, he was always there for him and wouldn't abandon or leave him ever. From my experience with Matt personally, his bond with his brother was very strong and he always watched out for him and kept him safe. His bonds with his friends were also very strong in the fact that he would always look out for everyone else before he would himself." 

"We all know how Yamato is, trust me. What I want to know is what is your opinion, what's your theory?" asked Ms. Nakao leaning forward. 

"My opinion, there was foul play somewhere along the way and I believe he's still alive being held against his will. I don't believe anyone would want to kill him, he's worth more alive if it's a ransom kidnapping but as of now, I believe he's kidnapped for other reasons." Said Ken swallowing hard, thoughts of murder in his mind. 

"What of Taichi Yagami? Have you interviewed him yet?" 

Ken's mind raced, he couldn't tell her, at least not till he had something to his theory, "I have interviewed his younger sister Hikari but as to Taichi I have yet to contact him." His eye slightly twitched, he hoped that she didn't notice. 

"Well what I want you to do is I want you to interview him as soon as possible, I don't care if it's forced interrogation or not." 

"Y-yes ma'am." 

"Okay that's all for now, I expect you will contact me if you find anything out?" 

"Of course, as always." Said Ken closing the file and placing it in his briefcase. 

"You can go now." Said Ms. Nakao, her eyes piercing him slightly as though she was accusing him of not doing his best. 

"Thank you." Said Ken closing his briefcase and standing up, "What a bitch." He thought to himself as he walked to the door. 

~*~ 

_ "So you want him…" a raspy voice off camera said as the shot showed a field and a well with a lid, "then find him." _

The scene was black and white and obviously it was dusk wherever the shoot was taking place. The camera panned to the right, an old graveyard came into view, human skulls on top of the monuments. 

"The moon is full tonight, the light shines great beauty upon the bare bones of the dead, giving them life." Said the raspy voice, the camera zooming in on a skull with a snake slithering through the mouth and right eye socket. 

The camera soon panned to a tree with a hangman's rope on it as a horrid crack sound was heard, a man hanging from it. The man twitched, his limbs flailed and finally it stopped. 

"Not him…" said the voice, as the camera zoomed onto the face of the hung man, "Not yet." 

The camera turned completely around to face the gravestones again, this time a young boy was on one of them. The boy was no more than twelve; his clothing was all black as if he was attending a funeral but his shirt white with red stains. The facial expression was that of sheer terror, forever frozen in time, his neck had been sliced with a sharpened femur. The bone still buried within the flesh of the boy, blood trickling down the grave. 

Tai threw up again in the wastebasket, tears and stomach contents intermixing as the next scene played out… 

_ The camera began to move towards a carriage, a black carriage used for transporting the dead in the past. The door opened on it's own revealing a casket, a hand behind the camera opened the casket. _

"Do you like it? I know he'll like it…" said the voice; "When you're dead you'll like anything…" 

The coffin was empty all except for a single CD; it was Matt's first album that lay on the silk lining. The lid closed, "I sure hate to think that the CD will rest alone, if you don't find him within two weeks, it will be beside its creator." Said the voice as the camera swept past the carriage to a hill with a huge stone temple, a single symbol on the top of a sextant and coffin. 

The tape went to static from that point on, he didn't even bother to turn it off all he could do was cry, harder and harder. Tai cried for hours and hours, the sun set and it rose, still he cried before passing out, tears still on his cheeks. 


	5. Dinnertime Conversation

Chapter Five 

  
  


Takeru looked at Ken with a look of severe disbelief, he couldn't believe what Ken had just said to him. It was as if Ken had thrown all the years of friendship out the window and cleaned his slate to say such audacious things of Tai. 

"TK, you all right?" asked Ken putting down his coffee cup on the coffee table. 

Takeru just stared at him for a moment before speaking, "How can you think such a thing? I mean this is Taichi Yagami we're talking about, not some killer in the papers." 

"I know, trust me it's hard for me to even acknowledge it as a possibility but I can't deny it as one." 

Takeru blinked and looked down at his cup, the froth swirling in a sea of cappuccino; "Why would he possibly want to do such a thing to Matt?" 

"Greed, love and passion are three reasons other people do similar things to people, they then pretend as though they are a victim of a crime against them," said Ken glancing over to the kitchen counter as a cat jumped up on it, "They play the part of the fool, act like they feel pain and hurt and make it seem like they are doing everything they can to find the perpetrator." 

"What do they do after things pass and nothing happens?" 

"Leave, they usually leave the country or at least the place where it all happened." Said Ken picking up his cup and taking a drink. 

"Tai though, he loved Matt as though they were brothers." Said Takeru, stifling the comment about them being lovers. 

"TK, Tai told me about his and Matt's true relationship, no need to keep up the veil of secrecy." 

"He did? Oh," said Takeru looking slightly shocked but in a way he knew that it couldn't be kept secret from friends, "Tai loved Matt, I know that for a fact and Kari knows it too, he would never do such a thing." 

They looked at one another for a second before Ken responded, "Passion crimes are done in the heat of the moment, a temporary moment of insanity in which all judgment and feelings go out the window. It could've of been a passion crime in which Tai focused on only one thing at the time, as rare as those crimes are it's a very real possibility TK. Even you have to admit that." 

Takeru sat there, it made sense in a way but in another he knew it couldn't of happened like that his very bone marrow told him otherwise. He took a small sip of his drink and heard the door open; Kari was home.   
  


~*~ 

  
  


Kari shut the door and put her keys on the little table next to the stairs next to her pocketbook. She thought about Taichi and imagined him at home crying which made her want to burst into tears. She never liked the idea of crying unless it was for joy and her bond with all of her friends made her share the same emotions as they had. "Damn sympathy." She said wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. 

Takeru walked around the corner, "Honey you okay?" he asked noticing her eyes were slightly red. 

"Yeah, I'm fine." Said Kari walking to within inches of Takeru and leaning in on him, "How is your day?" 

Takeru wrapped his arms around the petite young woman, "It's okay I guess, Ken came over earlier." 

Kari opened her eyes wide and looked up into Takeru's full of hope, "Did he find him?" 

Takeru increased pressure in his arms bringing her closer, "No, nothing." He said keeping the fact that Ken had told him that Tai was his prime suspect secret. 

Kari buried her head into his shoulder, she tried not to think of it and hated not knowing if Matt was okay, she hated that Tai was suffering and hated that she couldn't do anything to help. After a minute or two she looked up at Takeru, a solitary tear had rolled down his cheek. 

Ken walked in a stopped dead in his tracks, "Oh god, I'm sorry I didn't mean to." He said thinking he'd interrupted them in a private moment. 

Takeru let go of Kari and turned to face him, "Oh...it's okay, we were just about to go to the living room." 

Kari looked at Ken; something in his eyes told her he was having some kind of internal conflict. "Ken, is something wrong?" 

Ken looked to Takeru, his eyes pleading for an answer as to whether or not he should tell her what he told him. He watched as Takeru mouthed the words "Don't tell her" to him, "No, I'm just at ends on finding out what happened." Said Ken trying to keep a steady tone of professionalism.   
  


~*~ 

  
  


Matt awoke to find that he had been unshackled when he was asleep, a plate of what looked to be food before him and a glass of water. He looked around to see if the person who had put it there was still in the room but they weren't. Slowly he made his way to the plate, there was no silverware, which he thought, was a smart move by who ever. 

"It's still warm," said Matt as he touched the bread, "They must've just been in here." He looked at the contents, two pieces of fresh baked bread, a piece of fish and two carrots. He picked up a piece of bread and smelled it thinking it could be poisoned; it smelled like normal hot out of the oven bread. 

His stomach screamed at him, "Are you stupid!? Eat the damned bread before I digest your insides!" 

Without thinking any more about the chances of being poisoned he practically inhaled the first piece of bread. The sensations it produced while sliding down his throat were almost that of sheer ecstasy. His mouth became filled with saliva as he picked up one of the carrots, it too warm. 

Suddenly, a voice boomed in the darkness and resonated off the walls, "Do you like your meal Yamato?" 

His head bolted up and looked around in desperation, "Who said that?" asked Matt out loud. 

"No need to know me by name, it will be a terrible thing to know your executioner wouldn't it?" came the voice again, this time sounding as though it were right behind him. 

His mind raced, "I could be hearing things...I could be losing it, I've got to keep it together." He thought. 

"Poor Yamato, you think I'm a delusion of your mind don't you," the voice said sounding farther away, "Unfortunately for you, I'm quite real but in a sense your feeble mind would never understand. I am here to set you free but that won't be for some time now." 

"Where are you?" 

"I'm here," said the voice coming from where his water was, "Or am I up here?" asked the voice, this time from above him. 

The echoes were throwing him off, he thought as tried to pin point where the voices were coming from exactly. "Damn it!" he yelled, a sharp pain wracked his frail frame. 

An insidious laughter resonated throughout the stone as Matt laid there shaking with pain, the type of laughter that is maniacal and menacing.  
  


~*~ 

__

"Taichi, why aren't you trying to find me?" came the voice from the darkness. 

Tai stood there searching in the darkness, "I can't." he said with tears streaming down his cheeks. 

"Don't you love me?" came the voice again as a faint image of Matt appeared before him. 

"I love you more than anything! More than life itself!" yelled Tai as he threw his arms out to hug the image. The image faded and he stumbled forward, falling flat on his face. 

"You say you do, how do I know you do?" asked Matt, appearing and kneeling down in front of Tai. 

"I will find you, I will find you and prove I do." 

"You best get going then, you only have 13 days left to find me before something happens." Said Matt as he extended his hand to Tai. 

Tai looked at him, tears were falling down Matt's cheeks as well, "I will find you Yama, I promise." He said placing his hand in Matt's. 

Matt pulled him to his feet, "I love you Taichi, more than ever do I love you and need you right now." 

Tai bolted up on the couch, eyes wide, "I love you Matt!" he yelled. After a moment he realized it was a dream, but still it made him more determined. He got up and stretched noticing that the trashcan was rank with vomit. Cringing he picked it up and carried it to the bathroom, holding his nose as he poured it's contents into the toilet and flushing. 

He set the can down by the toilet and proceeded to use the restroom, as was his morning ritual. He thought about what he needed to do to leave the country for the United States, it was going to be tough not telling anyone why but he couldn't. He flushed the toilet again and walked into the bedroom he shared with Matt. It felt so cold in the room he thought as he started packing his suitcase, so very cold. 


	6. Painful Cuts

Chapter Six 

Ken had just pulled up in front of Tai's building when something caught his eye; Tai was putting a suitcase in the back of Matt's car. Pulling in behind Tai and jumping out the first words out of his mouth were "Where you going?" 

Startled, Tai hit his head on the lid of the trunk as he turned around to see who it was that was talking, "Oh, Ken...christ did you have to scare me like that?" he asked. 

" Sorry, didn't mean to scare you but why the suitcase?" asked Ken leaning on the hood of his Acura. 

Tai closed the lid of the trunk and took the keys out of the lock, "I'm going away for awhile, I need to take care of some things." Said Tai, his eyes giving indication that he didn't want to talk. 

"Where to?" 

"Just somewhere." 

Ken crossed his arms and analyzed Tai's body language, "He's going to leave the country, he is going to run." Thought Ken as Tai nervously looked around. 

"Well I've got to know how to reach you in case I find anything out so is there a way I can contact you?" asked Ken trying to set up a small snare trap in his mind for Tai to fall in. 

"I have my cell phone, you know the number." Said Tai pulling the compact phone from his right pocket and showing it to him. 

"Right but if you go outside the calling area?" 

"It's a satellite phone, you know that." Said Tai 

"Damn he knew what I was going with it," thought Ken nervously laughing. "Oh yeah I forgot about that, you and Matt sure are becoming like Izzy in your techno-fetishes." 

Tai looked down at the sound of Matt's name, "Yeah we are." 

Ken looked over this change in his demeanor and noticed the immediate reaction to Matt's name. "Sorry Tai I..." 

Tai interrupted, "It's okay Ken, listen I've got to go and you've got investigating to do so we better split." 

"Okay, well listen if I hear anything or find anything I will let you know as soon as I can okay?" said Ken as he thought about how to track Tai's movements without actually doing it himself. 

"Okay." Said Tai walking to the driver side door and unlocking it, "Ken?" 

"Yeah?" asked Ken as he went to pausing as his car door. 

"It wasn't me." Said Tai in a plain tone as he opened the car door and got in. 

Ken stared for a moment as he watched Tai start the engine and take off down the busy road. "It wasn't me? Does he know I suspect him?" Ken thought to himself as he got into his car and headed off towards the police station. 

~*~   
  


Tai thought about it all through the drive to the private airfield where Matt's private jet was stationed. "I've got to get this done just right without raising any questions, but I don't have that kind of skill like Matt did." He thought, cringing at the use of past tense at the end. 

He pulled the car into the parking area beside the hangar, turned off the engine and took the keys out of the ignition. He closed his eyes and put his head down on the top of the steering wheel, tears forming in the gentle curves of his eyes gliding downward slowly. 

_"Taichi, when you think of me I want you to know in your soul that I my love is forever eternal and burning as the sun. When I am not by your side I want you to think of what I said and wipe those tears, I will always return to your side no matter what stands in my way. I love you Yagami Taichi, forever my heart is yours never to be led astray." _

Tai looked into Matt's blue eyes, the mesmerizing deepness inside bearing his soul to him. His words so beautiful and so comforting, the tears in Tai's eyes dried to nothing but a puffiness of fresh tears. Holding him tightly but gently as only he could Matt embraced the brunette, his boyfriend, his lover and his true love. 

"I know you can't hear me nor see me right now Yama, but I feel you by me every bit as much as that day. I will be strong and right now you need me, I won't fail you, my dear love, I won't fail." Said Tai, his head rising from the rough blue rubber body of the steering wheel. 

Tai looked in the mirror and composed himself, wiping away the tears from moments ago and strength renewed, "It's time." He thought to himself as he got out of the car and went inside the hangar opening. 

~*~   
  


Matt's eyes eased open as he was being moved down a long corridor, a single pair of footsteps and squeaky wheels were all he heard against the echoing stone surroundings. His mind raced with questions as to the reality of this but soon he found that it was all too surreal to be a dream. He tried to lift his head only to find he couldn't move it, his arms and legs wouldn't respond to his commands to move either. He tried to open his mouth but it was as though he was completely paralyzed, his jaw now of stone it seemed. 

His ears began to pick up a faint noise ahead in the direction he was being taken, metallic and humming. "A...machine?" he thought to himself rhetorically as a set of double doors was heard opening in front of him. 

A blinding light enveloped him, his eyes instinctively shutting in response to the stimuli. He opened his eyes to see something written on the wall as he was wheeled past, "Trenton Asylum for the Mentally Insane". 

A voice boomed behind his head out of view, "Do you like it? I did all the repairs to the place myself and you've just become my patient as so many others." 

Matt's eyes grew wide as he was wheeled past a sign with the word "life" written on it in blood. Again his arms did not respond to the commands his mind was giving them, as though they were dead. The bed he laid upon hit into two bloody double doors and he was wheeled into the center of the room. 

"Don't worry Mr. Ishida, I won't kill you yet, I am a man of my word." Said the voice in a reassuring tone as the footsteps walked away. Water was heard running somewhere from a faucet as well as humming from somewhere out of view. 

The footsteps came closer to where he lay on the bed unable to move, "I think it's time to put you back asleep, I don't want you to feel the pain...no wait...yes I do." Said the voice ending in laughter as the lights went down and a bright light hit Matt in the face. 

"I can't see!" yelled Matt's mind as his vision was obscured by intense light directly above his head. His heart began to race, as a shadowy figure loomed over him in medical scrubs, in his latex gloved hand was a silver scalpel. 

"Now you might feel slight pressure on your arm as I do this." said the figure lowering the scalpel to Matt's right arm. Intense pain coursed through his arm as the blade sliced through the skin and muscle, "Aww...you're a bleeder, well that means I have to rush..." said the figure again slicing into Matt's arm, his mind was screaming, though his voice box remained silent as ever. 

As the scalpel struck the hard bone Matt's mind screamed it loudest before his eyes closed. The shadowy figure whispered, "Best watch how I do this one, he will die before everything is in place." It was with that final statement that Matt passed out from the pain, the void of unconsciousness a welcomed guest to his mind. 


End file.
